Without going into spoilers, there are a couple of points I would like to go over:
1. SHAZAM! is funny.
SHAZAM! is definitely the funniest superhero move since Thor: Ragnarok. In fact, a good way to describe SHAZAM! would be Thor: Ragnarok, Big, and Spider-Man 2.
2. SHAZAM! is scary
Alright, remember that part from Spider-Man 2 where Doctor Octopus' arms come to life and kill all the nurses? That was an excellent and terrifying horror scene, and David F. Sandberg, noted horror director (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation), has added his own horror scene. [SPOILERS] In one terrifying scene, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana confronts his father and brother with the 7 Deadly Sins. It was horrifying. One dude's head was bitten off (Off-screen), people are thrown out of the window, and people are torn apart as they try to escape the room (Off-screen). It is terrifying. The movie went from being hilarious and light-hearted into a cold-hearted massacre. One video series I like summed it up really well. [END OF SPOILERS]
3. It is an origin story
SHAZAM! is an origin story by heart. It has a reluctant hero who is given extraordinary powers, fights a badguy with similar powers, and learns to control the powers. The difference is, SHAZAM! really takes its time with all the learning to control the powers.
4. Billy Batson and SHAZAM! feel like different people
Billy Batson is portrayed as really sad and gloomy and very serious, but when he says "SHAZAM!", he turns into a joke-cracking hero with a very light-hearted demeanor.
5. The bad guy is terrifying and complex
Doctor Thaddeus Sivana, portrayed by Mark Strong, who has previously been the villain in Sherlock Holmes and Green Lantern as Lord Henry Blackwood and Sinestro, respectively. But Sivana is a man of character and fashion. I mean, the dude just looked evil already.
The way he's dressed, and I'm pretty sure he was already terrifying without controlling demons.
But the way the make his backstory, that he was picked to by Shazam but then was not pure of heart, told he wasn't good enough, and then sent back to Earth, where he caused the car crash that caused his father to become paralyzed.
If that's not enough to make someone go a bit mad I don't know what is.
6. The film has an emotional climax
Most superhero movies merely have climaxes; that is to say, the heroes punch the bad guys until they win. However, a recent trend that I am totally digging is emotional climaxes as well, in films like Guardians Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Aquaman, Infinity War, Black Panther, and Avengers: Endgame. SHAZAM! continues the trend, as Billy Batson searches for his real mother, to [SPOILER]
Rating: 9/10
Consensus: "Not the most complex movie, or the best, but bolstered by a light-hearted air and the ability to have fun as well as strong leads, SHAZAM! succeeds on so many levels."
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